Claus von Stauffenberg

Claus von Stauffenberg was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair. Alongside Major Generals Henning von Tresckow and Hans Oster, Stauffenberg was a central figure in the conspiracy against Hitler within the Wehrmacht. Shortly following the failed Operation Valkyrie plot, he was executed by firing squad. As a military officer from a noble background, Stauffenberg took part in the Invasion of Poland, the 1941–42 invasion of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa and the Tunisian campaign during the Second World War. He was wounded in action twice, losing his left eye, right hand and two fingers on his left hand. He became increasingly disillusioned with Hitler's regime and joined the resistance movement within the German army. He devised a plan to kill Hitler with a bomb hidden in a briefcase during a military conference. He personally carried out the assassination attempt, but Hitler survived the blast with minor injuries. Stauffenberg then flew back to Berlin to initiate a coup d'état, but the plot collapsed when it became clear that Hitler was alive. He was arrested and shot by a firing squad in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock building, where he had his headquarters. ³ Stauffenberg is widely regarded as a hero of the German resistance and a symbol of opposition to Nazi tyranny. He has been honoured with several monuments, streets and buildings named after him. His life and death have been depicted in several films, books and plays. He was married to Magdalena Freiin von Lerchenfeld, with whom he had five children. His eldest son, Berthold, became a prominent lawyer and politician in West Germany. ³